The Ultimate Guide to Green Burials
Saying goodbye to someone you love is never easy. During this difficult time, you want to honor their memory and respect their last wishes in the most meaningful way possible.
A green burial is a beautiful, eco-friendly way to remember your loved one while respecting the environment.
It’s a sustainable alternative to traditional burials, which can have a lasting negative impact on the earth.
This guide will provide you with everything you need to know about green burials, helping you make an informed decision on how you want to say your final goodbyes.
What is a Green Burial?
Green burials are eco-friendly alternatives to traditional burials. They aim to limit the impact on the environment and, where possible, contribute to the natural surroundings.
The focus of the green burial is to allow the body of the deceased to decompose naturally and return to the earth without anything standing in the way.
Here are the key elements of a green burial:
No Embalming
During a traditional burial, the body is embalmed with toxic chemicals like formaldehyde to help preserve the body for viewing at the funeral. Green burials don’t use traditional embalming methods and instead allow the body to decompose naturally.
Biodegradable Caskets or Shrouds
Green burials typically use biodegradable caskets or shrouds so that the body can return to the earth as soon as possible without metal or toxic finishes standing in its way and taking decades to decompose.
Biodegradable caskets are made from materials like sustainably sourced wood, wicker, or cardboard. Alternatively, the body can be wrapped in a natural fiber shroud. Wool is a popular material for shrouds.
No Concrete Vaults
Traditional burials will often have a concrete or metal vault to prevent the ground from settling around the casket. These vaults cause environmental damage in how they are made and in their transportation. Green burials encourage decomposition, so they don’t need these vaults.
Green Burial Sites
Green burials typically occur in natural burial grounds or cemeteries that focus on maintaining the landscape in a natural state. These sites avoid the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and manicured lawns. Often, trees, wildflowers, or other plants are used to mark graves instead of traditional headstones.
Natural burial sites aren’t the only sites where you can have a green burial. There are also hybrid cemeteries, where traditional cemeteries will have a section for green burials and conservation sites where nature is prioritized and no landscaping is done.
Conservation sites help preserve the natural habitat and disrupt the local ecosystem as little as possible.
Benefits of Green Burials
Environmental Impact
Traditional burials have many elements that negatively impact the environment, such as embalming fluids, concrete vaults, metal caskets, and more.
Green burials avoid toxic chemicals, non-biodegradable materials, and energy-intensive processes and are, therefore, much more environmentally friendly.
For the people who want to leave a lasting positive impact on the earth, green burials are the best way to do just that.
Cost
Green burials are generally less expensive than traditional burials. You’re not spending money on embalming, elaborate caskets, or vaults.
Simplicity
Many people choose green burials for their simplicity and alignment with the natural cycles of life and death. It symbolizes a true return to the earth.
Family Involvement
Whether it’s decorating the casket or shroud or planting seeds over the final resting place, green burials can be far more involved than traditional burials. Friends and family can choose to be as involved in the process as they would like to be.
Typical Green Funeral Options
Choose a Funeral Home
There are green funeral homes, but there might not be one in your area. However, if there isn’t a green funeral home near you, your local funeral home should be able to offer you green options.
Find a funeral director that you connect with. This is going to be a difficult time and you want someone by your side who will help you through the process.
Find a Plot
Whether you choose a natural, hybrid, or conservation cemetery, you will need a plot to bury your loved one. Green Burial Council and US Funerals have comprehensive lists of where you can find these cemeteries throughout the United States.
You will find that the plot is likely the most expensive part of planning a green burial. Prices vary according to where you want your loved one buried, for example, a conservation site may be more expensive than a conservation site.
Buy a Casket or Shroud
Choosing a biodegradable casket or shroud shouldn’t be difficult as long as you look for the Green Burial Council’s stamp of approval.
Our EcoRest caskets have been awarded the highest level of green certification from the Green Burial Council — three green leaves — confirming they are non-toxic, biodegradable, and sustainable. We use a biodegradable non toxic water based coating for our finish, maintain a forestry plan for managing our woodlot, and have carbon-neutral shipping options.
Plan the Memorial
As with the burial, you want the memorial to be as eco-friendly as possible.
Consider having a virtual memorial if you have friends and family who want to attend from far away. This will prevent people from driving or flying long distances.
If you do have an in-person memorial, serve refreshments using sustainable, reusable cutlery and plates and no single-use items.
If there is going to be a procession, try using bicycles or walking instead of cars to cut down on the environmental impact.
Eco Funeral FAQs
Q: Are Green Burials Cheaper?
A: Green burials remove many elements of the traditional burial, which makes them cheaper by comparison. For example, you won’t have to pay for embalming, a concrete vault, or an elaborate casket.
Q: Is Natural Burial Legit?
A: Yes, natural burials are legit. They are a great way to honor your loved one’s environmentally conscious lifestyle and have an eco-friendly send-off that will respect the earth as well as their memory.
To Wrap Up
Green burials are the perfect way to respect and honor your loved one and their passion for the environment.
You’re able to lay them to rest in a beautiful place and allow their body to return to the land, a wonderful symbol of the cycle of life and death.
If you’re looking for a biodegradable casket that takes being eco-friendly to the next level, take a moment to look through our EcoRest offering. We take care to ensure that each step of the process is as environmentally responsible as possible.
